Payback
by the queen of slurking
Summary: Victoria wants to get back at the Cullens and will use Bella to do so. Now complete. Sequel soon.
1. Chapter 1

Payback

BPOV

I stumbled through the forest, desperately calling Edward's name. It was obviously the middle of the night: I could see nothing, and kept tripping over invisible tree roots and rocks.

My eyes still had to adjust to the darkness; it was still so dark that I couldn't focus on anything. For all I knew, there was any number of predators around. Finally, I found what felt like a log and sat down on it. I hated this feeling of being blind, and not for the first time wished I was a vampire. At least then, I could see something, and I'd have a decent idea of where I was.

I had the sense that I wasn't alone. Maybe that someone was watching me, but with my weak eyes, I had no way to prove it. Worse, it was beginning to rain quite heavily. I may as well have been wearing a blindfold.

Eventually I found it harder to keep my eyes open and slid off the log, curling into a ball to sleep and wait for sunrise.

VPOV

I watched from a higher branch in the tree as Bella curled up and tried to sleep. After Laurent had been killed by the wolves, I had taken matters into my own hands. First, I'd had to find out if the Cullens were still protecting Bella. A quick trip to their house negated that: the place was shut up and had the smell that comes from being unoccupied for a while, slightly dusty and unfresh. No human would have smelled it.

Next, I managed to find out that they had left town altogether. Curiously, they'd left the human behind. Not so sensible, leaving such a weak creature defenceless. If I had to guess, Edward had probably forbidden Alice from trying to look for Bella's future: perfect for my intent.

Finally, I took to watching over Bella from a distance when I could. Some days, the sun was out, and then I could only hide in the darkness of the forest to watch. I wanted to be sure that none of the wolves hurt her. Probably they were doing their best to protect her, but they couldn't like I could. I didn't need to sleep, after all. They did occasionally.

I watched now as Bella slept. Her sleep seemed to be difficult, as she was thrashing around on the forest floor. Probably nightmares, although I couldn't be certain. It had been quite some time since I'd last had a nightmare-or slept, for that matter.

Just hours ago, I'd watched as Edward told her he didn't love her anymore. Seeing the heartbreak on her face made me realize I wasn't going to kill her. My mate had been killed by Edward, and if I were to change Bella, she would technically be dead. In the sense that she didn't have a heartbeat, that is. But now she had lost the one who loved her. I couldn't kill her now. She knew what I was going through, and could empathize.

The rain poured down more, and I felt a pang of anger at Edward for bringing her here. Didn't he realise she would try to follow him? And of course, as night fell, she would get lost even more. Her weak human eyes wouldn't help her at all. He and I could see clearly-I could see every detail of her and where she slept, but she wouldn't see me. Not until I was about an inch away from her.

Finally, the dawn light crept over the horizon. I watched as she became aware of this, waking slowly. I dropped soundlessly from one branch to the next, sliding onto the lowest branch, not wanting to startle her. My hair was distinctive enough that she would recognize me immediately.

She sat up and looked around, but her eyes were glazed and she wasn't really seeing her surroundings. It seemed as though she was trying to remember something, and then the memory hit her. Edward was gone.

I took this as my cue to drop to the ground, making enough sound that she heard me. She looked up at me and her eyes widened. I couldn't read the emotions: relief? Fear? Anger? Acceptance?

I approached slowly, trying not to scare her. I could tell she recognized me, and she seemed to be judging what she should try to do.

'I understand the Cullens have left' I said softly. For some reason, Bella looked startled to hear my voice. She nodded silently, probably not wanting to aggravate me. I wasn't angry though. Just lonely, and I wanted a companion.

I continued talking, trying to ease her worries. 'I know how you feel, having lost your mate. He killed my mate after all. And yes, I am here for revenge. But before you ask, that revenge doesn't involve my killing you. I was thinking more that we could come to an agreement.' I watched her face as I spoke.

'What sort of agreement?' her voice shook, though she tried hard to hide it. Deceiving a vampire is really quite difficult.

I looked at her steadily, and she dropped her gaze to the forest floor, toying with a twig. It was then that I realised my eyes must be making her uncomfortable: she was only used to seeing vampires with gold eyes, or humans with their eye colours. Poor girl probably wasn't used to looking a vampire directly in their crimson eyes.

'You probably know what I want. To avenge James, and to make Edward suffer in the process. And since Laurent died, I'm alone. I also want a companion. I'll warrant that there's something that you want too. I'm sure we could come to a decision. Is there anything in particular that you want? Something only a vampire could give you?' I asked, readying myself for her answer.

'Immortality.' her immediate answer was very definite, not at all hesitant.

I wasn't too surprised with that answer. A human who spent as much time with vampires as she had was bound to want that for herself at some point.

'So, how do we work out an agreement from this?' she asked. Brave girl. I had to admire that. Any other human would probably be looking for an escape route, trying to work out how to get away from the vampire.

'I change you' I suggested… probably Edward wouldn't like it much if she was a vampire.

As if she'd read my mind, she looked up. 'Edward wouldn't like me to be a vampire. It's why they left. He didn't want to keep putting me in danger, and he didn't want to change me.'

Perfect.

'It's a win-win situation then. Edward isn't around to know if you're human or not. You get the immortality you want, and I get to avenge my mate. And, if you're willing, I get a companion in you. Together, we could be quite powerful.'

A small smile lit over her face, and she nodded.

'I just need a little time to work out what I'll tell my dad, and then you can change me' she decided.

I gave her a fortnight, and we made plans to meet in fourteen days, on the outskirts of Seattle.

Until then, I would have to return her to her home. I knew the way, but hated to leave her to stumble through the forest to get home. She got onto my back and I began running, dropping her off just a few yards from her house.

I turned and ran, recognizing from the smell in the forest that I would soon have to climb trees to dodge the wolves.

Really, they weren't overly good at protecting people. I got around them easily enough. Just puppies, they were.

With that, I left Seattle entirely to hunt. My payback was underway.


	2. Chapter 2

Payback chapter 2

BPOV

I entered the house and endured Charlie's endless questioning. As I answered the questions, I was trying to figure out how to tell him I was leaving. Where would I go? I couldn't tell him I was going to live with Renee; he would insist on at least calling to make sure I got there okay. Besides, I didn't want her to get caught up in things.

Finally, I decided to keep things simple. Collect a few things together, write a generic note and leave while he was still at work.

None of the Cullens were around to be of any help, and Charlie would probably assume I'd been miserable enough to run away. My classmates wouldn't be too helpful either, as I barely spoke to them. That would add to the suggestion that I'd run away. People wouldn't know how to look for me, and I would disappear.

I was fairly sure that if necessary, Victoria would know people who could help me create a new identity.

Of course, the biggest aspect of my new identity was changing to a vampire.

Once I was in my room, I began deciding what I wanted to take with me. Clothes were the biggest thing I would need, along with some money to tide me over. I would take a few books and leave the rest of my stuff. Money was not important to them; I would guess that Victoria had a decent amount of money. She'd certainly had long enough to save.

There were no other vampires around either, who would look for me using my scent.

I found a decent sized bag to put my few things in and hid it, stashing a few pairs of jeans and t-shirts in to start with.

The next thirteen days passed slowly. I went to school, attended lessons and occasionally did homework, then came home and planned my leaving. Finally, Charlie went to work and I took the chance. I wrote out a brief note, apologizing and telling him that my going had nothing to do with him. I left it on the table, grabbed my things and left.

As I drove, I deliberately avoided making any plans. I didn't want to run the risk of Alice seeing me running away to meet Victoria and become a vampire. I wondered if I was being naïve. What was to say that when I did meet her, she wouldn't just eat me instead?

Somehow though, I was fairly certain she wasn't going to. My instincts told me that I wasn't going to be a meal for her.

Arriving in Seattle, I found a hotel and checked in as Isabel Jones. Probably, it seemed completely fake, but Jones was quite a generic surname. Isabel wasn't anything unusual, and I didn't stand out at all. By the time Charlie started a search for me, I'd look different.

I got into the bed and lay down to wait. I didn't want to sleep; instead, I recounted the last few days and tried to work out how long it would be before the search started.

Finally the night was over and I got up, showered quickly and checked out.

I wasn't meeting Victoria until dusk, so I had plenty of time to kill. I wandered around for hours, browsing idly through various bookstores. It occurred to me that I didn't know exactly where to go; I would have to drive around for ages looking for the area we were meeting in. That would be a good way to fill the rest of the afternoon, and I found my car.

After driving in circles for hours, I found the place and waited in my car until I caught sight of red hair.

VPOV

I waited for Bella in Seattle, staying indoors until the sunlight had faded. Once the light had dulled into the beginning of night, I left my house and ran to meet her. I watched her sitting in the car, glancing around every so often. Finally, she saw me and I walked over to the car, sliding into the drivers seat and starting the engine.

I drove until we reached the house I'd rented for this purpose. Both of us were silent, but I could hear her heart racing faster. If I had to guess at how she was feeling, I'd have to say scared, but excited somehow. I had to wonder at this strange human girl who wanted immortality, so much so that she would suffer three days of fire, burning through her body and stopping her heart.

I killed the engine and looked at her. She was looking focused and calm, not at all concerned. Wasn't she even slightly worried that I would lose control?

'Are you ready?' I asked her. Once again, I prepared myself for her answer. She didn't seem to have entirely human ideas. She fascinated me.

She snapped out of her reverie and looked at me dead-on. It almost unnerved me. 'Yes, I'm ready' she stated simply.

Of course she was. How long had she been preparing herself for this?

We got out and silently walked inside the house. I led her to what was to be her room during the change, and she got comfortable on the bed. Strange girl: I was about to give her three days of pain and she wanted to be comfortable while putting up with that pain. I still remembered my own transformation, and that screaming through the pain did nothing to lessen it.

She looked perfectly at ease, her expression blank and her eyes dreamy.

I bent down and brushed her hair away from her neck, then paused. 'May I?' I felt weird asking, but I suppose I was looking for consent. Not that I needed it: she wouldn't have been able to fight against my strength, but I wanted to be sure that she wasn't about to change her mind.

She nodded. 'Welcome to my life' I whispered.

Then I leant in and bit her, my teeth breaking easily through her skin.

BPOV

Victoria asked my permission before she bit me. I found it quite strange. As I contemplated this, I felt the heat flare up. I gasped in shock, as the heat began to spread.

I was quickly on fire, and I closed my eyes as if that would make the pain stop. My teeth clamped firmly together, and I felt my body trembling. I would not scream.

The fire continued to spread and I felt like I was being burnt so thoroughly, that I would soon resemble ash.

Time meant nothing. I was burning, and that was the only thing I was aware of. Fire raced through my veins, burning me, drying me out, freezing my body the way it was. I dimly remembered being told that the venom was healing to the body: did that mean all the scars I had would be gone? That my skin would be absolutely, flawlessly perfect?

I couldn't say how long I burnt, but finally the fire began to recede. This surprised me: I had expected the burning to continue more. Instead, it seemed to be stopping, and I was pleasantly startled to find that where the burning had left was cool and pain-free. The fire continued to burn out, and I could hear a soft whispering. Victoria must be near, and trying to console me. I didn't really need the consolation, but it was nice to have her soothing me as I endured more pain.

That surprised me, as I had expected her to bite me and then go feeding.

Finally, the fire reached my heart. I don't think any human could have ever stood having their heartbeat so fast, it would surely kill them to have such a fast heartbeat. In a way though, it was killing me. As the fire focused entirely on my heart, I gasped again in shock. Victoria was stroking my hair now, and I listened in shock as my already fast heartbeat accelerated even further. It didn't seem possible, but it was. I could hear it all perfectly, and waited for my heart to stop.

My heart thumped a few more times. Once more, and it stopped.

I opened my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

VPOV

Bella's heartbeat slowed increasingly, and I watched her face. I knew that by now, the burning would almost be gone and she would probably be listening to her heart stopping.

After her heart stopped, she opened her eyes and I was looking into the bright crimson eyes of a newborn vampire. I would have to teach her now: I would have to be her mentor and keep an eye on her for the next few years. Killing conspicuously was one of the things the Volturi kept an eye on, and I didn't want to bring them down on us over a newborn not being taught properly.

In changing her, I'd done her and the Cullens a favour. Now, they didn't have to worry about ever changing her, or the Volturi getting wind of the fact that a human knew. In most cases of a human knowing of the existence of our kind, the human was generally taken to the Volturi and became a meal. Maybe once Bella had got past the first year, she and I would travel to visit the Cullens, and I could introduce them to my new companion. Just to really hammer it home that it wasn't a good idea to leave a fragile mortal vulnerable and defenceless…

Those mangy mutts had stolen my good friend Laurent; the Cullens had taken my mate from me. I had to make them pay. While I was at it, I could introduce her to the mutts. During my watching, I knew Bella had been sort-of friendly with one of the boys. I had seen the way he looked at her too-he definitely would have liked to be more than just friends with her. I also knew the disdain the dogs had for vampires, and that in showing her off to the Quileutes, any feelings he would have for her would soon go. They smelled horrible to a vampire, and I was fairly sure that it was a two-way street.

She seemed oddly relaxed at everything, sitting up and looking at me steadily. I was surprised to note that her eyes seemed focused and thoughtful, not the usual for a newborn. It must be that she'd done more mental preparation for this than I'd anticipated.

Suddenly, in a gesture I recognised, her hands flew up to cup her throat. Finally, she seemed to be acting like a newborn. I remembered this too, from my own change. Scorching thirst, that quickly occupied any other thought. Even with a vampire's excellent mental facilities, the only things a new vampire could think about were their thirst and blood.

I stood, not bothering to stretch out as if I was human, and offered my hand to her. I knew she wouldn't need any help getting up, but something told me it was the more polite thing to do. More human somehow, although if I really wanted to act human I'd take lessons from Carlisle Cullen. Why he insisted on everything he did, I didn't know. Denying his vampire nature I could _almost_ understand, if he felt guilty about killing random people, but acting so human was bizarre. Working in a hospital, treating people daily, it was a wonder he never slipped. As for the 'children', forever going through high school and university, why would they? I'd think anyone would get sick of it after long enough. And surely it wasn't sensible having them so close to humans all the time…

'Shall we hunt?' I suggested to her, and she nodded, looking both grateful and relieved. She took my outstretched hand and I pulled her up, forgetting how strong she'd be. Just pulling her up yanked at my arm; it almost hurt.

It was dark out: I'd timed it so that when I bit her, the venom would begin to set in and within seventy-two hours, her change would be finished. By fixing it that way, we would be able to hunt almost as soon as she woke up.

_How strange, she seems like she's months old. I haven't had much experience with newborns, but if I didn't know better, I'd think she was older. Now, to start teaching her the best ways to hunt, and how to be inconspicuous… I don't want to try teaching her too much to begin with. That would work against me, and against her learning, rather than helping._

I was briefly lost in my thoughts as we walked from the house, trying to decide what I should teach her first. Definitely how to be inconspicuous… that would have to be the first thing.

I was grateful that I knew the area well: I could lead her to an area where there were frequently homeless people, runaways, or other such people around. I made it a habit to feed from these people, seeking a wide hunting range. They were rarely reported missing, because they didn't have homes to go missing from. Really, it was a favour to them. They stopped their miserable existences, and, that meant the local councils didn't have to worry quite so much about finding the money to get these people off the streets. It was pretty bad when people had to live on the streets, and I supposed I had a bit of a god complex.

Getting the poor out of their misery and stopping the councils from having to deal with them. As well as doing myself a service.

I was always careful to only kill a couple at any one time from any particular area, as more than that would start ringing alarm bells among the humans.

I explained briefly to Bella the best way to get a sense of her surroundings and tell where she could find prey that fit the criteria. The blood of the humans I generally fed from was never quite clean, probably due to the fact that they were homeless. I really wasn't too sure about their habits: it didn't interest me. If it did, I would pretend to be human and do some work in helping them.

It occurred to me then: what if Bella preferred feeding off animals?

Again, she seemed to read my mind. 'I don't mind human blood, in fact I think I would prefer it if it'll just get rid of this thirst' she said. Totally calm, as relaxed as if she'd been doing this for years.

We ran for a few minutes, me leading to an area I hadn't fed on recently. Dozens of suitable people littered the area, and most were sprawled out unconscious. Perfect.

Bella watched me for a few minutes, before mimicking my actions perfectly. I was amazed at how cleanly she fed: I dimly recalled my own first hunting and the amount of blood that had covered myself and my surroundings. Once done, she looked at me for guidance, and I gathered up the bodies, walking to a nearby stream and disposing of them.

'A fundamental rule is to always clean up. It would arouse suspicion if there were dead people left lying around with bite marks on their necks… we can't afford to take that risk. Always destroy evidence.' Even as I said this, it appeared that she had already come to this conclusion. Her mind would be working a lot quicker now, and that would help her come to such conclusions a lot earlier.

As for now, I would have to continue teaching her. Much of what she needed to know was just basic.

Before we returned home, I quickly inspected her. Her eyes glowed even brighter red, I thought, and somehow she didn't have any blood on her.

_Amazing._

I reminded myself that once we were home, I would begin telling her the kinds of things I had learnt during my vampire life. I thought it would be sensible to explain to her the advantages of being a nomad vampire, rather than one like the Cullens had been.

And while I was on the topic of the Cullens, I would work on changing the opinion of the coven who had left her so broken.


	4. Chapter 4

**Still don't own anything. By the way, Bella is very quick to adapt to being a newborn: I'm going with the had plenty of time to prepare mentally thing. The next chapter will probably be the last in this story and then a sequel. If you want to suggest a title for the sequel let me know in a review, I don't really have any ideas at the moment.**

VPOV

After just a few weeks, Bella had adjusted surprisingly well to being a vampire. Her self control was really good too, much better than the average newborn. Of course she was thirsty, almost unbearably so, but she managed to be satisfied with just a couple of humans at any one time. So far, she hadn't gone on any bloody massacres, and I was grateful for that. It meant that the Volturi's attention wouldn't be brought to us by over-killing. Instead, we moved from one town to the next every few days so she could feed regularly.

I'd also begun to teach her that she shouldn't feel to kindly towards the Cullens, citing how they left her so easily. It wasn't so difficult, because she'd lost many human memories during the change. That was normal; every vampire only had a few dim memories of their human time. My intention in teaching her this was so she could look out for herself, and she was already less of the shy human that she was. That surprised me, since we were frozen forever in the mental state as much as physical. But now she was different. She was a lot bolder, but she still clung to me, almost in the way I would imagine a child clinging to her mother. And of course, when we met up with the Cullens, I didn't want her to remember them. If she did, I was pretty sure she would return to them.

I didn't want her to leave me for them. I felt like she was my daughter, and in a sense, she was, since I was the one who had created her. When I considered that I was the one who had to teach her things about being a vampire and look out for her to make sure she didn't do anything to risk hurting herself, I really felt like her mother. It was odd, since I was only a few human years older than her eighteen, but I liked it.

For months I had watched her, hoping that she wouldn't be too unhappy when they left her. I knew it was a matter of time before they up and left her for her safety. When I found out that Jasper had almost attacked her after she'd had a paper cut, I felt bad for her. Which I found bizarre, since I had previously wanted her dead. Then when I saw how miserable she would be without Edward, and listened to him leaving her, I heard that misery. I still wanted my payback, and I wanted a companion.

I waited til Edward had gone, then I began forming a plan. _Change her, which will upset the Cullens, Edward in particular, then she can be my companion since I changed her… there tends to be a bond between a vampire and their creator. One day we'll go to visit the Cullens and I can carry out my payback._

And of course the rest is history.

BPOV

I was now a vampire, frozen at eighteen. Victoria had been unbelievable since I'd woken up. She taught me how to hunt and keep under the radar, and didn't get mad about the fact that we were shifting from one city to the next just to allow me to feed regularly.

I remembered that she'd wanted some kind of payback, and that I was the key to getting it. I couldn't remember who she wanted to get revenge on or why, but I was just happy that I could help. She was almost like a mom to me. I guess she was taking the opportunity to act as a mother figure since she'd never get the chance to in the same way a human woman would. Something tugged at the back of my mind, thinking it strange that she'd wanted the chance to act like a mother.

I disregarded this, recalling that I only had dim human memories. I must have been a zombie when she changed me though, because my memories were very dull. I could faintly recall golden eyes, blond hair, just faint flashes of a person but nothing that made up the person's entire face. Or being, for that matter.

When I asked Victoria about this, she'd said that it was best I forget. She knew more than I did and said only that the memories, if I recalled them, were very hurtful. The words in particular had hurt me, she said.

One thing she had told me was her recollection of finding me curled up on the forest floor, and that told me enough. Someone had hurt me enough that at some point, I'd been utterly miserable and incapable of moving. That was my interpretation anyway, and it wasn't so important in the face of my thirst.

We would be moving again shortly, and I'd be able to feed again in a little while. Already I'd mastered Victoria's habit of feeding on the 'dregs' as she called them-the people who wouldn't be missed, the ones who didn't have homes to go to. Their blood was never pure and clean, but it was warm blood nonetheless. It sated my thirst.

I felt a little bad at first, but then Victoria had pointed out that they were my natural prey. Besides, most humans preyed on animals, eating meat-and that had a much bigger impact on the environment, according to her. Anyway, her point was that most people are happier when they accept and utilize their natural diet, rather than forcing something different down in order to lessen impacts on life. Something like that anyway. Besides, she'd reminded me that if I were to try varying from my natural diet somehow, I'd eventually return to it and then feel worse. So I rationalized that it was better to just go along with it.

Time passed, ad it tended to drag on. It seemed to me that this was one of the downfalls of being a vampire who never needed to sleep. Being awake twenty-four/seven was sometimes irritating but it was nice to never get tired.

Six months passed, and I found myself unable to remember anything of being human. Victoria assured me that this was a good thing and that I shouldn't worry about it. I didn't, but it did bug me at times that I couldn't remember what my human family or friends were like. Victoria was really the only family I knew now, both a mom and sister to me.

In the last six months we'd lived the life of nomads, which we were. I was still needing to feed regularly, and we favoured the bigger cities. We'd hiked everywhere, stopping occasionally to replenish clothes and dark coloured contact lenses. While terrifying humans could be fun, it was best not to go into a shop with red eyes. That was too much of a risk.

A few more months passed, and it seemed to me that June held some significance for me. Not as a vampire, but as a human. Try as I might, I couldn't place it.

June passed, Victoria telling me that it would have been my high school graduation, and segued into July. We moved on to the rainforest, where humans were rare. The only ones that spent any time here were generally scientists, studying the wildlife. This wasn't exactly a holiday favourite, which made it perfect for vampires. According to Victoria, I'd need to start learning some more self-control, and being somewhere with a lower human population would help.

Our first few days in the area, Victoria seemed rather different. Strange, somehow. Like she was planning something or had something that I couldn't know about. A few weeks after we'd settled into the rainforest, Victoria left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so last chapter in this story. I will do a sequel: expect it sometime in a couple of weeks. I think finishing this with this chapter and then putting up a sequel (three-shot at most) works better with what I have planned for this story. **

**By the way, if they're in the rainforest, they're in one that's separated from America by an ocean. There probably is such a rainforest but I suck at geography and for some reason I felt that this is important.**

VPOV

I ran.

This was tricky now that Bella was a vampire. Her senses were strong enough that she could trail me if she was so inclined. By now she'd be completely familiar with my scent. If she decided to follow me, that would ruin my plans. She'd start asking questions and I didn't want to answer them just yet.

I picked up my pace more, cursing having such bright hair. If she was following, it'd be beyond easy to recognise me by my hair alone. Luckily, I'd had the foresight to grab a decent supply of contacts and some money before I took off. The last year with her had taught me how to organise, and I reached the edge of the forest. Luck was still on my side, as there was an entire ocean between me and America. As soon as I dove into the water, my scent would be lost and Bella would have to go swimming if she wanted to find me. I knew that was unlikely, as she'd always hated to go too far in the ocean when we were travelling.

I swam quickly through the ocean, reaching my destination in several hours. I couldn't be completely sure but it looked like Canada. I'd never been, so didn't know what it looked like-I only had a vague idea from pictures. I ditched the ruined backpack, keeping my plastic-wrapped contacts on me. First things were to pretend to be human, then I could look into if there were any vampires around.

Grateful that I'd thought to layer my stuff in plastic, I went into the depths of the forest to change and put in contacts. Thankfully, everything was dry. I changed quickly, using a scratched mirror to confirm that I looked human enough to go to a pharmacy.

First call of order: hair dye.

Second: some extra clothes.

BPOV

I finished reading through the Complete Works of Shakespeare and threw the book aside. I guess I'd forgotten my strength, because it flew further away from me than I intended.

Victoria had gone, telling me only that she needed to go and I wasn't to follow. Really, she couldn't stop me from going but I felt obliged to do as she'd said. She was the one who gave me this life and taught me how to handle everything. Maybe she'd be back soon. I hoped so anyway. I'd run to the edge of the forest already, following her scent as far as I could. By the time I realised her scent had ended, I'd landed in the ocean.

Freaked out, I'd jumped back to dry land and tore back so fast that I dried off as I ran.

I missed my mom.

VPOV

I wandered through Canada, stopping in to visit the main cities and feeding occasionally. My main priority was finding out if there were any vampires around, and I appreciated my senses more than ever. Walking down a busy street, I both scanned peoples' faces for the giveaways-pale skin, golden or red eyes and sniffed for the telltale scent.

My luck continued as I walked into a café, taking the seat furthest away from the window and heard a musical voice. I inhaled, letting the scent of a vampire register, before a woman with gold eyes asked to join me.

In tones too low for a human, she explained that it was sunny enough that she couldn't risk sitting by the window, and introduced herself as Kate. It occurred to me that she might know something I didn't, so I gave her a fake name and asked if there were others of our kind around.

Kate told me about her family, a group of four female vampires. She lived with her sisters, one of whom had a mate. None of the others did, although Tanya was obsessed over another vampire-one who was still brooding over losing his mate a year ago.

She suggested I come and stay with her and her family for the duration of my stay in Canada, citing our lack of sleep to be no problem. I agreed, and once darkness covered the city we returned to her home.

As soon as we walked through the door, I was hit with the scent of numerous vampires and was thankful I'd dyed, cut and straightened my hair earlier. Not a hint of the red hair remained under the black dye, and I'd managed to feed on animals often enough recently to make my eyes gold. The only problem was my scent, but I was fairly sure that feeding on different blood would change it enough that I wasn't recognised.

Kate introduced me to her sisters-Tanya and Irina, along with Carmen and Eleazar. Apparently they had a coven of seven due to visit soon, which set off bells in my head. It was possible, especially if all seven were vampires: Kate later told me that the coven was indeed one of vampires, which was unusual. Even a pair of vampires together was strange-seven was incredible. The leader must have been exceptionally confident.

After a while the seven arrived and I was introduced to them under the name I'd given Kate-I'd picked Cathy. As soon as they began filtering through the door, I knew them all immediately. I introduced myself to them, being sure to keep thinking generic thoughts.

Almost the minute I called myself Cathy, the entire group's demeanours changed. Everyone went from cheerful and welcoming to tense and almost hostile, although I didn't know why. All seven of the Cullens, even Rosalie, looked like they wanted to cry. Alice later pulled me aside and explained that Cathy was the favourite character of Edward's lost mate's favourite novel. Not really my problem, but now I knew what was wrong with everyone. At least, those were the thoughts I kept for the mind-reader.

I'd really completed what I had set out to do.

I stayed the night, listening to various Cullen sob-stories about lost Bella and how when they'd returned to Forks several months after leaving her, she was just gone.

In the morning, I told Kate that my plans had changed and I had to go. Esme told me that if ever I was back in Canada, I should visit, as the Cullen clan had a permanent residence there.

Perfect.

I thanked everyone for letting me stay and did the usual nice-to-meet-you-all routine, and took off.

Now, I was running back to Bella. Although she didn't know it yet, we both had preparations to make, a trip to plan and finally a score to settle.


End file.
